for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies, primarily as a third baseman. He hit .242 in 914 at bats with 22 home runs. In 1947, Lohrke's rookie year in the majors, he met Honus Wagner prior to the start of a game the Giants played against the Pirates at Forbes Field. Jack hit 12 homers in his rookie season with New York. One of his homers broke the major league team homerun record (186 homeruns which had been set previously by the Yankees "Murderers' Row" club of Ruth and Gehrig.) The Giants ended up hitting 221 round trippers in 1947, a record that stood for many years. After Leo Durocher took over the helm of the Giants in 1948, Lohrke was relegated to a utility role as the fiery manager wanted to bring in his own players. Durocher sent Jack down to Jersey City in 1949, but Lohrke played so well that he was brought back up shortly thereafter. Lucky Lohrke was moved to the mound from third base during spring training of 1950 as management tried to capitalize on his incredible arm, even though he never pitched for NY in a regular season game. (Jack later did pitch in relief roles upon his return to the Pacific Coast League in 1954.) In the famous "Shot Heard Round the World" game against the Dodgers on October 3, 1951, Lohrke was warming up and ready to come in to play infield if the game went extra innings, but Bobby Thomson crushed a fastball into the left field stands to dramatically end the game in the bottom of the ninth and send the New York club into the World Series with the Yanks. Jack was traded to the Whiz Kids in Philadelphia prior to the start of the 1952 season where he played sparingly for two seasons until the Phils traded him to Pittsburgh. The Pirates moved Jack to their minor league affiliate, the Hollywood Stars of the PCL, and Jack spent his last five years of pro ball in the Coast League. Retirement and legacy From the time he joined the Padres after the accident, Lohrke was called, for obvious reasons, "Lucky"-Lucky Lohrke, the ballplayer who got off the bus in the nick of time, the soldier bumped from the plane that crashed. The name stuck. Who else, after all, had more right to be called Lucky? He's in the